Schöllenen Gorge
October 26, 2020
Photographer: Michela Meda
Summary Author: Michela Meda; Stu Witmer
The Schöllenen Gorge, shown above, is an excellent place to see the effects of the collision of the African and European tectonic plates. It’s located in the canton of Uri, Switzerland, between the municipalities of Göschenen in the north and Andermatt in the south. The gorge is situated on the Ruess River in the southern part of the Central Aar Granite, a granitic batholith that intruded about 300 million years ago. Up to 1,968 ft (600 m) in depth, the gorge shows the fracture systems brought about primarily by uplift and shear as the continents moved together.
An impediment to travel throughout human history, bridges have been built across the gorge since the 13th century. The first stone bridge, called the Devil's Bridge, was built about 1585. Photo taken August 11, 2020.
Photo Details: Pentax K5 and Smartphone Huawey P20 Lite